Unity day

ROYAL CITY - Royal City's Red Rock Elementary School and the entire school district celebrated Unity Day - a day against bullying - on October 9.

"It's a national day set aside to show that we are united against bullying behavior and that we stand up for and care about those who are and/or have been bullied," RRE Assistant Principal Linda Achondo said.

Unity Day is held in October nationally, and participants generally wear orange.

RRE counselor Nicole Schwartz spoke to the student body the week before Unity Day, discussing why students were wearing orange and held a discussion on accepting everybody. Schwartz also read "Spookly the Square Pumpkin" as recommended by the organizer of Unity Day.

The classes then made their own pumpkin rip art. After the pumpkins were finished, students took the time to discuss how everybody's pumpkin turned out differently despite receiving the same instructions.

Students discussed how, like the pumpkins, there is nobody in the classroom or world exactly the same as them.

The Royal PTO donated bookmarks for every student in the school. They provided information about pacer.org as well as a pledge to be a Kid Against Bullying.

"We held a contest for the classrooms wearing the most orange, and the top three classes won an orange ice cream treat, also provided by the PTO," Achondo said.

The top class was Mrs. Mueller's kindergarten. The other two winners were Mrs. Soelter's first grade and Mrs. Lefler's fifth grade.